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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — help
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. field — farmland
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bat — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com